The plan to link Godavari-Cauvery rivers will be confined to unutilised water in Chhattisgarh for now.
The Union ministry of Jal Shakti has decided to draw water fromand Andhra Pradesh only after conducting hydrology studies at Icchampally as demanded by the Telangana government.
During the recent meeting on inter-linking ofGodavarivia Krishna and Pennar basins, the Telangana government questioned the claims of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) that 175 tmc ft of water is available in Godavari at Ichhampally in the state and can be diverted for the purpose.
The Jal Shakti ministry is in a fix over its claims on the availability of 175 tmc ft of water in Godavari at Icchampally as the Central Water Commission (Cwc) has given different figures for different projects and kept Telangana schemes on hold.
As per the original plan, NWDC proposed to draw 247 tmc ft from Godavari and divert it to Krishna and Pennar basins as part of linking of Godavari and Cauvery river basins. It was proposed to draw 2.2 tmc ft of water daily from Godavari which would be first diverted to Krishna at Nagarjuna Sagar and from there to Pennar river during the south-west monsoon.